Storm Clouds
by Exkalibur2
Summary: (LeonxCloud. Shounen ai. OOC,AU) They consider themselves good friends, close as family, but will they ever realize that their feelings doesn't exactly fit into that category?


Disclaimer: This is the fanfic known as 'Storm Clouds', by Exkalibur. I am Exkalibur… Just lost my log in info and I can't really think about it too much, since it's been a couple of years since I last used it. I have decided to come back to this fic, as I think it has a bit of potential. There will be things I will be changing, and new things that will be added. Thank you for joining.

Further Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy. They are solely Square Enix possessions and Disney in regards to KH. Too bad they don't like to share, huh? But beggars can't be choosers; so therefore, we can be satisfied with just borrowing them, without intent of making any profit out of this, of course.

This has always been my first and only fan-fiction. And I decided to give it a go with Kingdom Hearts. What had always inspired me to do so was the plain possibility of many of the guys being paired with other guys! OK, by that statement, I also state that this fiction is completely Shounen-ai, Yaoi, Boy Love… however you want to put it.

If you don't like such things, then here is where the BACK button becomes useful.

Mistakes are my own. I will gladly accept the help of a Beta, if you are willing to help me out.

And to not make this any longer, I will just go ahead and start rewriting what I can, and changing what needs to be changed. I hope you enjoy!

Xxx

Chapter 1

Squall Leonheart, or Leon, as he preferred to be called, didn't really understand the difference between an angry woman and a wild beast at the exact moment. The brunet did nothing but stared at the pacing woman while she swung her fists in every direction at an invisible foe, yelling at the top of her lungs and black long hair swinging the other way.

Because of the unexpected act of rage, he had forgotten what had gotten her in such a state in the first place, though he remembered having to step aside when she began screaming, and keeping a lookout for her flinging fists. They were down by the entrance of the Castle, still flabbergasted, he turned his gaze from the ebony haired woman to look around him. The members of the committee were all present.

Aerith stared wide eyes at the wild female, apparently not sure if she wanted to try and close the distance to comfort her friend, or give her time until she calmed down. Cid had his arms crossed in front of him, a cigarette hanging from his lips, the sneer he had on his face was not exactly readable, since Leon was not sure if the blond was angry along with Tifa, or he was angry at her from keeping him away from the new shipment of Gummi Blocks.

Yuffie's mind didn't appear involved in the situation at all. The fact that she kept looking behind her, then at her watch was proof enough. As far as Leon knew, the 'thief' and in other instances, the 'ninja' didn't want to miss the opening of the Ice Cream Parlor, since Scrooge McDuck mentioned that he came up with a new flavor.

The short wizard, Merlin, had his eyes closed, but there was no doubt in Leon's mind that he was listening closely to every word that came out of Tifa's mouth. Leon also understood that the wizard was a very busy man, and so, he didn't blame him for trying to keep his composure intact instead of blowing up himself.

Cloud was sitting down on the concrete floor, crossed legged and looking at the cracks, Leon supposed. The blond didn't seem interested at all at what was taking place, just as he himself. But as the leader of the committee, it was his job to appear interested.

Leon sighed as he felt the comings of a headache; he pinched the bridge of his nose and growled low in his throat.

"…and the worst part is, is that none of you seem to be concerned about it!" Tifa yelled, clearly angry at that fact.

Oh yes, Leon remembered now. Bringing his hand down from his face, Leon carefully approached Tifa while managing to dodge a hand, and none too tenderly, gripped her shoulder and spun her around.

Tifa, surprised at the handling and more so coming from Leon, stopper her tirade and stared.

"Tifa," he began. The other occupants of the current space straightened up a little more, glad at the interference. "You're angry, and in effect, you're on the verge of angering us all."

"You have your job to do," he continued. "Just as we all do. We have limited amount of manpower, and so, as much as we wish to, things can only go so fast. The north wall will most likely collapse soon. I would like it to collapse alone, than have it fall on our heads."

"But…" Tifa started, wanting to get her point across.

"And because of the danger is poses us," Leon interrupted. "It is the reason why I will leave it alone. It matters not if that section is the one you want as your own."

Yuffie, wanting to end it quicker and make a run for it, nodded her head and gave them the thumbs up. "Yeah Tifa, there are many other rooms in the Castle you can use, so why the big deal?"

"I want the north section because I say so!" Tifa shouted. "It is part of the Castle, why would you all just let it come to its own destruction?"

Leon sighed again, and looked at everyone present. "I already expressed my concerns about it, Tifa, the end. Now everyone, get back to your stations. We have wasted most of the morning already."

"Aye, Captain!" Yuffie said cheerfully, glad it was all over.

With her last words, Yuffie ran toward the Market Place. Taking that as a cue, everyone began to move. Merlin made his way out of the entrance to return home with Aerith. Cid made his way inside the Castle, mumbling about senseless conversations. Tifa stood there, but after a moment of inner battle, she nodded briskly and walked after Cid.

Leon saw her go before he shouldered his gunblade, getting ready to scan the area for any hidden threats.

Cloud walked up to Leon, his lips turning into a small smile.

"She certainly made her thoughts clear," he said. Leon grunted in reply as they faced each other. He wasn't happy that Tifa decided to be so verbal about it, but he hoped that he was clear enough on what it meant for them to work on the north section of the Castle.

"She looked convinced?" Leon asked, hoping against hope that he managed to convince the stubborn young woman.

Cloud took a moment to think of an answer, they were all aware how hard headed Tifa could be once she's made up her mind about something.

"You tried your best," Cloud murmured, feeling sympathy for Leon.

Leon raised his eyebrows and turned away, sighing dejectedly. The answer Cloud provided was expected, it was very hard to convince Tifa of anything. But there were things more important to worry about at the moment.

"Whatever."

They both walked side by side, alert and ready for anything that might come at them.

Xxx

The brick house was shared by the six youngling, as Merlin would put it. It was very comfortable and cozy, but at the same time a bit too crowded for Leon's taste. The first floor consisted of the living room, a bathroom and the kitchen, while the second floor contained the three bedrooms and the extra bathroom. And finally, the little attic.

Cid had gotten a room of his own, being the oldest of them all. He was lucky to have his own privacy whenever he wished. Aerith and Tifa shared a room, as Yuffie decided to make her little space in the small attic, a big relief that it was for the older women, since Yuffie was too disorganized. Leon and Cloud shared a room, they had been doing so for so many years in different places, they had grown accustomed to each other's presence.

If Leon was to be honest about it, he would admit to having missed his younger friend when he was away after having joined the darkness. They had been the best of friends since their elementary years, and having him gone for so long only made Leon come to recently appreciate the presence of the younger man.

After buying the necessary items that he would need to finish a small project that he kept hidden under his bed, Leon made his way out of the Market Place toward home, where he was sure a tasty dinner awaited him.

The street lamps illuminated the way, creating shadows where the light failed to shine through. The weight of his gunblade on his side was a comforting feeling, and tucking his newly acquired item inside his jacket, he began taking extra, faster steps toward his destination.

It had been a long day, and the thought of spending the remaining of that day with those he considered family motivated him into breaking into a jog. He would stop a few feet before entering the house to compose himself and pretend he wasn't almost running to get home of course, since it wouldn't do his image any good if the others found out about his strong feelings for them.

Xxx

The first thing Leon noticed as he opened the door was the lack of lighting. Usually at the present hour, the house would have been full of activity. Cid would usually be watching the reruns of the day's Blitzball game; Yuffie would be siding with the other team and would cheer them throughout the two hour competition just to annoy Cid. Tifa and Aerith would have been taking care of supper, while keeping an exciting conversation going. And Cloud, as it was his habit of doing so, would be sitting on the window sill, looking at the outside world, sulking.

But that night, everything was dark and silent. He couldn't help the shift of attitude within him. He was quickly on alert, not trusting what existed within the darkness. Leon readied his gunblade, while walking sideways and reaching out a hand for the light switch. Once clicked, no light came from the bulbs. Taking a deep breath, he thought of calling out for his companions, but he didn't want to alert anyone that didn't supposed to be there to his presence.

But concern for the others won over.

"Aerith, Cid?" he called out, and anxiously waited for some sort of answer. There was a small shuffle close by, and he instantly tensed and waited for any signs of approach.

"Leon?" came a voice from the dark. The voice was soft and tired, but he recognized it right away.

"Cloud, what's going on? Why is it dark?" Leon asked, wanting to know as much as possible of their current situation.

Another shuffle, and soon he could hear soft footsteps getting closer to him until he felt a hand on his arm. All the tenseness flew from his body, and he sighed with relief.

"Cid is out fixing the problem." Cloud began explaining, voice soft and weary. "There was a blackout, but apparently only minor, since it didn't include the neighbors."

Leon breathed in and he ran a hand through his dark hair. He didn't notice anything strange on his way home, and he certainly didn't noticed Cid outside.

"And the girls?" Leon inquired.

"In their rooms, they have a battery operated television. Seems that there was a girly movie they wanted to see," Cloud replied, amusement coating his words.

At this, Leon snorted. Girls were weird like that, he guessed. Cloud's hand was still on his arm, and he took it into his own to lead Cloud out of the house, If Cid was outside with a problem, Leon wanted to provide help.

"Let's see how Cid is coming along then." Advised Leon, sheathing his gunblade, but as he pulled on Cloud's hand, he felt a tug of resistance.

"Why?" came the haughty question.

"Because he might finish faster if he has some help, why else? Leon replied, all-knowing like.

He pulled with more force, but Cloud didn't seem to budge.

"I'd rather stay here, Leon."

"Nonsense… come on, Cloud, since when are you so lazy? Taking your time with this darkness to sulk more?

There was a snort from Cloud, and this time when Leon pulled again, the other didn't fight it and slowly followed Leon to the exit, since the only light that lighted their way came from the lamp post outside.

"I don't sulk," Cloud stated moments later.

"Whatever."

Walking outside, they made their way to the side of the house, where they found Cid smoking a cigarette while switching a couple of wires here and there in the circuit breaker.

"Cid," Leon called.

The unexpected company startled the older man, and he turned around to look at the direction of the newcomers.

"What the hell, Leon! Can't you warn a man before giving him a heart attack?! He yelled, not liking being caught off guard.

The pilot turned back around to continue with his job, mumbling low. His hands suddenly stopped their work as he looked back at Leon, then behind him to the other young man.

"I thought you were sleepin," he said.

Cloud shrugged without giving a reply, but Leon looked back at him with a questioning gaze. Cid chuckled in remembrance, shaking his head.

"That was a bad hit you took to your head, Aerith will be furious with you if she sees you out here," he commented.

Leon's intense gaze was fixed on Cloud, unconsciously taking a step closer to the blond, worry hidden behind angry eyes.

"What happened?" he asked.

Cloud was stopped from taking a step back by Leon's hand grabbing his arm.

"You're hurt?"

"No…" Cloud lied, not liking the worry he sensed from the brunet.

"Fell off the ladder, and was knocked senseless," at his own words, Cid started laughing while thinking back on the day's happenings. Cloud unconsciously raised a hand to the back of his head, where Leon's hand followed.

"Leon, please…" he began.

"Why didn't you tell me this earlier?" the anger behind Leon's words were softened by the attention he was giving to Cloud, and the blond did his best not to blush, thanking the night time for its cover.

Leon felt the bump in the back of his friend's head, sighing irritably.

"You should've been more careful, Cloud," he said angrily. "How many times are you to injure yourself?"

"It was nothing, Leon, just a fall," Cloud tried to soothe the brunet.

"Either way, you should be more careful. Things…" his words were interrupted by a loud crash followed by loud yells and a shriek that came from the left, on the road to the Market. Cid stood quickly and along with the two youngest ones, stared into the night.

"We should check it out… you didn't find anything suspicious while making your rounds, Leon?" he asked.

"I didn't, but it wouldn't hurt to check," Leon responded. 

Cloud was the first to move, but he was suddenly brought to a stop by a strong grip on his arm. He looked back to find Leon looking at him with an annoyed face.

"You should wait inside, Cid and I can take a look," Leon told him.

"That is out of the question, Leon."

Cid went ahead first, grabbing his Venus Gospel spear that he had leaning on the wall of the house. Cloud made to follow again, but Leon's grip tightened.

"Get back inside now, that's an order," the glare that Leon gave him at that moment made him hesitate to follow Cid. Leon let go of his arm, while hurrying after the old man.

Cloud stared, not knowing if he should go against Leon's orders or do as he said. He took a step to follow his teammates, until the realization that he didn't carry his sword with him registered in his brain. He decided to heed Leon's command, only because he didn't carry a weapon, nothing else. He stopped his thoughts about easily running back inside the house for it, and then catch up with them.

He turned to walk back into the house when he heard loud footsteps coming from within, probably the girls rushing down after hearing the noise from outside, he thought. He would keep himself alert though, just in case he heard any signs of the guys needing help.

Xxx

Leon helped the old woman get up from the ground, her grocery bags were spilled around her, and Cid took care of collecting them all. The gray haired elder straightened out her long skirt and fixed her glasses, while looking around with a small scowl on her face.

"Those rascals will be the death of me," she complained. Cid and Leon were both glad that it was merely an accident between a grandmother and her few grandchildren… and their dog. From a distance, they could hear their laughter as they ran for cover. Cid approached them with his hands full of vegetables.

"Well, gramps, looks like they need a lesson in manners," he said. The elderly woman looked hard at Cid, offended by the nickname.

"You watch your mouth, lad," she half shouted. "I'm not your grandmother first of all, and you're not too far off from my age. Secondly, mind your own children. Let's see how your grandkids will treat you once you have them."

Cid merely raised an eyebrow. He doubted he would ever have biological grandchildren of his own one day, and he was quite positive that the difference in age between the two of them was very large. Leon smirked, offering his arm to the old lady.

"We would accompany you to your place, ma'am, and drop off your groceries if you would allow us," he told her amicably.

Cid snorted, not knowing why Leon was so understanding with just about everyone who managed to get on his good side.

"The ever utilitarian leader… bah!" he grumbled, half amused.

Leon chose to ignore the comment, preferring to listen to the lady talk about her adventures when she was younger. He definitely didn't buy the part of her being a super woman as she claimed to have been, but for the sake of respect, he nodded and murmured a 'wow', just to make her feel better.

Xxx

Cloud sat between Aerith and Tifa on the brown sofa, while Yuffie sat on the recliner, tapping her fingers on the arms of the comfortable chair. Still in darkness, the presence of one another made it less frightening. There was something about having companions in the dark, it was an assurance that nothing will come out of it and drag none of them under. The sound of Cloud's friends breathing was comforting, but he sensed the anxiety in them all as they waited for their two friends to make it back home.

"It had to happen while the movie was at its best," Yuffie whines, breaking the silence and sighing heavily. "Once we head back upstairs, the movie might be over, thanks to whoever or whatever managed to interrupt the peaceful mood."

The others didn't respond to her chattering, their attention to the outside world.

"What's taking them so long?" she asked.

When no one gave her an answer, she repeated herself until Aerith saw fit to answer in order to make her be quiet.

"They must've found something, Yuffie," Aerith told her, trying to reassure the young girl.

But it wasn't enough, Yuffie was already worried. "If they did, wouldn't they have called for us? I mean, we're here to help, aren't we?

Tifa grumbled something under her breath, not liking the questions being thrown at them.

"Yuffie, is they haven't called for help, that means they have everything under control," she said angrily. "Why don't you head back upstairs and finish the movie, what do you say?"

Yuffie seemed to think it over for a bit, but she suddenly straightened out and gasped.

"What if they are wounded and that's why they can't send word to us for help?! she cried.

That did it for Cloud. He was suddenly out of the sofa, walking blindly to where he was sure his sword was leaning against the wall. Aerith sensed the worry from Cloud, though he knew it was unnecessary, for she was positive her friends were well.

"Relax, Cloud, the others are fine… come back and sit with us," the soft and sweet voice was meant to comfort him, but the nagging feeling of seeing it for himself that his friends were fine was too strong.

"In a moment, Aerith, I will be back in a moment," he said, half to himself.

"Cloud…" Aerith pleaded, but stopped when they heard the door open and close shut.

Tifa sighed in annoyance, "Way to go, Yuffie… can't you think things over before you speak for once?"

Yuffied giggled nervously, feeling dreadful that her comments managed to put worry into her elders.

"Oops."

Xxx

Leon took a bite out of the red apple that was given to him by the nice old lady, while Cid walked beside him, angry that he didn't receive anything in return.

"If you wouldn't have made that comment about her kittens, maybe she would have liked you, Cid," Leon chastised.

"Damn animals, they look like beasts! Did you take a look at their size? What was she feeding them, Mega Potions?!" Cid yelled, the memory of the experience still fresh in his mind.

The thought made Leon wonder. It was true that they were quite big, and their eyes had a strange gleam in them that made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end, but maybe the odd feeling he got from them was because they were all black.

"But was telling her that her house smelled like cats really necessary, Cid?" Leon asked.

"Hell, Leon, how can she even stand the smell of it? Cid asked, sniffing his shirt just in case it smelled too. "The place reeked. And besides… what was an old lady doing carrying a bag of groceries in the middle of the night? Smells fishy to me…"

Leon smiled inwardly, in a way agreeing with his older friend. After finishing his apple a while later, and ignoring the rules on the no littering, Leon threw the remaining of the fruit in a corner of the street, where Cid made sure to reprimand him for his mess.

"Whatever," Leon replied.

He was aware that as the leader, he was to set examples… good examples, but he couldn't bring himself to care at the moment. He was hungry and tired, and simply wanted to get home.

Both men suddenly stopped as they saw Cloud walking towards them, sword in hand, looking relieved and a bit annoyed. But more annoyed was Leon when Cloud stood before them. The brunet crossed his arms in front of his chest and glowered at the blond, waiting for an explanation.

"The girls we worried," Cloud stated. Leon sighed, and Cid puffed out his chest with a cheeky smile on his face, glad that there were people in the world that still worried about him. Leon then walked passed them both to continue on his way, only stopping seconds later to look back at Cloud, who was still standing next to Cid.

"Let this be the last time you go against my orders, Strife," Leon said brusquely.

Cloud pouted cutely before turning away from the heated gaze that was aimed at him from one angry brunet.

Xxx

There were cheers from the girls as Cid provided lighting after fixing the circuit break. He went inside quickly to enjoy the attention, since it wasn't every day that he received cheers of that kind, though Shera, the next door neighbor did her best to provide another kind of cheer.

Once he had enough of that, he kicked everyone out of the living room so he could watch the remaining minutes of the Blitzball game. Yuffie sat down on the sofa to watch the game as well, as Aerith and Tifa began to prepare a late meal. With nothing else do to but wait for supper, Leon went to take a shower, but not before dragging Cloud by the elbow to their bedroom and forcing him to lie down. Cloud fought half way there, but gave in as Leon grabbed him by the ear like a small child.

The others just smiled in amusement, though the girls shared a knowing look, which they then thought to add giggles just for the dramatics.

After the shower, Leon changed in front of the mirror into a white sleeveless shirt and gray pants. Then, untangling his hair with his fingers while pushing them back, he walked out of the bathroom and down the narrow hallway and into his room.

Careful not to make too much noise in case Cloud was asleep, he tiptoes toward his bed and sat down on it to put on a pair of clean socks. He looked behind him to take a look at his friend who was laying on his stomach, and was startled to find the intense blue orbs staring back at him, albeit half lidded. Leon gave him a small smile before turning his body to the other side of the bed, to face the blond.

"I thought you were asleep," Leon said softly.

Cloud chuckled, running a hand over his eyes in an attempt to stop sleep from taking over his senses, "I can't sleep."

Leon doubted that, and the look he gave Cloud was enough to convince the blond that the other man didn't believe him.

"You would be able to if you would stop fighting it… but I'm curious, just how did you manage to fall off a ladder?" Leon asked.

Cloud groaned, not liking the direction the conversation had taken. It was downright embarrassing to even thing about what had happened.

"Do you really need to know?" inquired Cloud, clearly not wanting to talk about the accident.

"It would satisfy my curiosity, Cloud," Leon answered, with a hint of amusement.

Sighing, the blond slowly got to a seated position, resting his back against the head board, crossing his legs and staring at Leon with sleepy eyes. "Too much curiosity will kill you one day," he said.

"I'm willing to take my chances."

A minute of silence followed, then knowing how futile it was to avoid talking to Leon, Cloud began talking about the day's event… with the least words possible.

"After I got back from our early 'clearing heartless' routine, I was in charge of painting the upper layer of the library when suddenly the ladder decided to betray me," the snort from Leon was ignored. "So yeah… that pretty much sums it up," Cloud finished in a rush.

"The ladder betrayed you and made you fall? That's a first… of you were at Beast's castle, seeing as Sora had told us about the weird happenings over there, maybe I would've believed you, but…"

"OK!" Cloud interrupted a bit too loud, "I was showing off my abilities with the brush, but missed the upper step of the ladder, my foot slipped and I tumbled down after I tried to regain my balance…" he admitted, a blush quickly forming on his cheeks.

The brunet bit down on his lower lip to keep a smile from forming.

"So I fell," Cloud sighed. "And it was more humiliating than painful, since Yuffie made sure I didn't forget about it," he chuckled nervously, shyly looking up at Leon.

Without thinking, the blond raised his hand to the back of his head, feeling the bump there. He was glad that there was no breaking of the skin. Looking at an enemy's blood was different than looking at his own blood, he thought. It always got him a bit queasy. His musings were interrupted when he noticed Leon standing from his bed, and walking quickly to his side, sitting down beside him and eyeing him anxiously.

"Does it still hurt?" Leon asked. He looked as if he wanted to take the pain from Cloud and bear it himself.

"Feels a bit numb now, but I think I'll stay away from ladders for a while," Cloud joked. The pain was not as bad as before, but there was an odd numbness that he was glad for.

"Maybe you should just stop trying to show off," Leon stated, and he ruffled Cloud's spiky hair to show that he wasn't being serious.

"Shut up."

"Turn around, let me see how it looks," the brunet commanded.

Cloud looked annoyed and was ready to move away from Leon, but the brunet quickly stopped him by shoving himself behind Cloud and pushing his head down for a better look. The pressure from Leon's hand on his injury made the blond grimace in pain.

"That's a big one there. I think I see Mount Nibel here," Leon said, softly chuckling to himself as he imagined the pout that Cloud was sure to be sporting after that statement.

"It would be gone in a few days I'm sure," Leon diagnosed, unconsciously gently running his hand through the blond spikes.

"Aerith said that," Cloud whispered, his eyes closing on their own accord by the attention that Leon was putting on his head.

After a minute of silence, Leon moved and sat shoulder to shoulder with the blond, not moving his hand from where it rested on the back of Cloud's head. Unconsciously, the blond leaned sideways against Leon, and placed his head on Leon's shoulder, sighing with content.

Leon smiled, enjoying Cloud's closeness. He would stay just as he was, only because of the possibility of Cloud falling asleep on him. With his free hand, he took one of Cloud's hand and held it tight, and the squeeze he received in return was enough to widen his smile.

Xxx

The next morning, breakfast was a lively affair. Cid's pancakes were the best, and it showed as they all consumed many, while Cid gleamed at their appreciation of them.

"…And so, Merlin lost his temper, and doing one of his dirty old tricks and a wave of his wand and poof! Made those ducklings regret ever calling him an old fart!" Yuffie exclaimed. She then started laughing before stuffing her mouth with a large piece of pancake.

"Those bags of plumes will never learn to respect their elders," grumbled Cid. "What is it with children these days? They're not getting enough beatings, is what I think."

Aerith smiled thinly. Cid has always been like a father to them all, and never had he laid a hand on them before. Cid could say all he wanted, but they all knew that he couldn't bring himself to do such deeds.

"You should've done that with Yuffie, look how she came out to be," Tifa offered, receiving a glare from Yuffie in return.

"Maybe I should've done that to all of you scamps… Now that I think about it, it might've helped a lot," assumed Cid.

Leon pretended to not be amused, but deep inside he was laughing at the sour look Cid had on his face. Maybe Cid was thinking of the 'what ifs' that he couldn't help now, the brunet thought. Taking a sip out of his glass of milk, Leon wiped at his lips to clean the milk mustache that he could never stop from getting. His eyes then landed on Cloud, who had a wistful smile on his face as he slowly chewed his breakfast, while looking at Cid with barely concealed affection.

"Merlin said he was beaten when he was younger," Yuffie managed to say in between mouthfuls.

They all stopped eating to stare at her, the young girl was nodding her head while stuffing more pancake into her mouth. Aerith laughed softly.

"It's hard to imagine a wizard being young…" Aerith said thoughtfully.

Cid looked appalled, "Where you think they'd come from, Aerith? Trees? He half yelled, not being able to control his emotions.

Leon snorted, and quickly covered his mouth to stop anything from flying back out.

"Spare us the details, Cid, if you would," Leon pleaded after swallowing.

""I'll spare nothing!" cried Cid. "Let me tell you all bunch of ninnies a fact…"

There were groans from the others, knowing that Cid was on the verge of getting into a five mile, one way conversation.

"Everything that is alive right now was once very small…" he brought his index finger and thumb together for emphasis.

There was a moment where all Cid was able to hear were the cries and laughter from the youngsters.

"What about the hearless? Yuffie asked. "And robots?"

Cid slammed his hands on the table, "Heartless are just that, heartless! They are not really alive, the same goes for robots!" Cid exclaimed, surprised by the questions.

Yuffie tapped a finger on her chin, thinking hard.

"But…, if hearless aren't alive, then how come they move and fight?" she asked.

Before anyone could answer her, she gasped and brought her hands to cover her mouth in shock.

"My goodness!" she cried, "They're zombies!"

Cloud shook his head in exasperation, Aerith giggled while Leon groaned. Tifa and Cid stared at the youngest member, not knowing what to say. After a long pause, Cid shook his head, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

"Well," he said. "Now I'm pretty sure things would have turned out differently."

Xxx

Leon stopped driving the small bulldozer to wipe the sweat off his brow. The day had turned out to be quite hot, and he detested hot temperatures. There was only so much he could take off in the stifling climate. He certainly wouldn't want to walk around naked, it would be too degrading as far as he was concerned.

Far off to his right, he saw Cid talking with Merlin and pointing to the ground, then widening his arms as he explained something to the old wizard, but Leon was too far away to hear them. Behind Cid and Merlin stood Yuffie, using Aero magic to move away light scraps of garbage and cement

The benefits of magic, Leon thought. Yuffie was being lazy and taking the easy way out. Aerith stepped out from the Castle with a few cold drinks, and Leon's spirits rose automatically. Something cold would be welcoming at the moment. He jumped out of the bulldozer and jogged toward the rest of the company as the two older men and Yuffie started on their drinks.

"Thank you, Aerith," he said, taking a glass of his own and drowning it in a few gulps. He then reached for another one, but his hand was lightly slapped away.

"Those are for Tifa and Cloud," Aerith chastised.

He looked around him, but didn't see either of them in the area.

"Where are they?" he asked.

Merlin crossed his arms across his chest, and a very unfamiliar frown appeared on his face.

"I don't know about Cloud, but Tifa is on the north section… taking care of her 'own businesses' as she had nicely put it. That dratted girl will listen to no one!" Merlin exclaimed angrily. He was not easy to anger, but it was best not to push his buttons.

Leon fought the anger that wanted to quickly rise within him. Sighing annoyingly, he nodded at them, and began to walk toward the north section of the Castle, where he was going to have a long one on one with Tifa.

Going around the Castle, he was surprised to see Cloud sitting on a shaded corner, with his head resting against his knees. Leon walked up to the blond and gently nudged him with his foot.

"This is not your break time, Cloud," reprimanded Leon, a bit gently of course.

Cloud slowly looked up to him, and met gray eyes. Leon's face fell as he took in the distressed look on Cloud's face and the misty eyes. The brunet quickly got down to his knees in front of the blond.

"Cloud, what's the matter?" he asked, trying to think of an answer on his own.

The blond shook his head as he forced a small smile, "Nothing is wrong, Leon," Cloud whispered. "What are you doing here?" asked the confused blond.

They became aware of a crackling sound coming from around the bend, leaving the matter of Cloud aside for the time being, he got his mind back to the more pressing situation.

"Tifa is at the north wall," Leon said.

Cloud looked confused for a moment, before blinking away the haziness that had taken over his eyes. He made to stand, making Leon move aside. When they were both on their feet, they quickly made their way toward Tifa, who was watching a piece of the destroyed wall crumble to the ground from a safe distance.

"Tifa!" Leon shouted, trying to control his anger, lest it took the best of him.

Tifa turned around and watched as Leon and Cloud made their way towards her, though the look of utter anger from the brunet made her take a step back. Once both men reached her, she smiled sweetly at them, but that didn't placate Leon, who seemed on the verge of hitting the woman, but it seemed that Tifa didn't care at all.

"What are you doing? You think this is a joke? I wouldn't have told you to stay away from here if it was safe!" he exclaimed.

Tifa shrugged, throwing Leon a challenging stare, "I didn't touch anything, Leon… it crumbled on its own," she said, her innocent smile not fooling anyone.

The brunet didn't believe her, and she knew it. He took a deep breath, pointing behind him. Silently telling Tifa to get a move on to where the others were waiting.

As he watched her go without a fight, he held back the impulse of throwing a piece of rock at her while she still had her back to him… that would make him feel very good, he decided. Once she was out of sight, he indulged himself, taking a piece of stone and throwing it at no one in particular, in the direction she had gone.

"Can't she act her age? She's like the sister I never wanted to have," Leon said quietly, but loud enough that Cloud could hear.

Cloud chuckled softly, making Leon turn around to face him.

"I'm sure she thinks of you as the older brother she never wanted to have too," Cloud told him.

Leon seemed worried after that statement, and stepping closer to Cloud, if only to make sure that no one was listening, he lowered his voice to keep the conversation between the two of them private.

"Am I that bad?" Leon asked.

Cloud pretended to think real hard at the question, but tenderly placed his arm over Leon's shoulders as he nudged his friend forward, and both started walking.

"You're the older brother I always wanted to have, Leon… is that good enough?" Cloud asked, staring up at Leon.

Leon found that statement bittersweet. He was happy Cloud would think that of him, but it wasn't exactly what he wanted to hear, not from Cloud.

The brunet smiled softly, but yelped in surprise and almost stumbled as he felt Cloud lean his body against him suddenly. Reflectively, his arm wrapped itself around Cloud's slim waist. Leon felt another arm snaked up his arm until the blond had both arms wrapped around Leon's shoulders, head resting against Leon's chest.

Feeling his heartbeat increasing, Leon didn't know what to make of the situation, until he realized that something was actually wrong when unexpectedly, Cloud cried out in pain. Leon had to wrap his other arm around the blond's waist when his legs gave out from under him.

"Cloud?!" Leon exclaimed, gently lowering his friend to the ground. "Cloud, what's wrong?" the worry in his voice made Cloud loosen the hold he had on the brunet, as he moved away a little, shaking his head.

"Sorry, Leon… it's nothing," Cloud replied, but made it obvious that it was the opposite of that when he grimaced and grabbed the back of his head, crying out again.

Leon just held him, not knowing what to do. After a second's thought, he did the only thing that came to his mind.

"Aerith!" he shouted, hoping that it was loud enough for her to hear.


End file.
